In 25 years of interviews with his hometown paper that could only be released upon his death, former President Ford once called Jimmy Carter a "disaster" who ranked alongside Warren Harding, and said Ronald Reagan received far too much credit for ending the Cold War. "It makes me very irritated when Reagan's people pound their chests and say that because we had this big military buildup, the Kremlin collapsed," Ford told the Grand Rapids Press.

Even with a Rose Bowl matchup against USC drawing steadily nearer, Michigan spent much of Wednesday talking about the death of Gerald Ford. Players and coaches, visiting Lawry's restaurant for the annual Beef Bowl, said that Ford remained a presence in the program in recent years. The former president, who played for the Wolverines in the early 1930s, watched games as often as possible and stopped by the football office whenever he passed through Ann Arbor.

Former President Gerald Ford and movie actor Charlton Heston hopscotched across the state Monday in a final effort to ensure that "California is in the right column when the polls are closed." At a luncheon meeting of the Comstock Club in Sacramento, Ford disputed polls that showed Bush leading and proclaimed the race for the White House to be a "toss-up." "It's close. It's going to be a narrow victory, either way," Ford said. ". . .

The desert retreat of former President Gerald Ford and Betty Ford has come on the market in Rancho Mirage at $1.699 million. Set in the Thunderbird Country Club, the 6,316-square-foot midcentury home was built in 1979 and designed by architect Welton Becket. Among his works are L.A.'s Capitol Records Building, Pomona City Hall and Glendale City Hall. The main residence includes a staff waiting room, five bedrooms and 61/2 bathrooms. The Fords' furnishings, excluding family portraits, are also available for purchase.

Richard Nixon wrote books to burnish his image. Jimmy Carter built a charitable foundation, brokered peace initiatives and monitored elections around the world. Bill Clinton has hit the speaking circuit, champions global AIDS awareness and joined his former adversary, George H.W. Bush, to raise money for tsunami and Hurricane Katrina victims. Gerald Ford's ex-presidency was remarkable for its relatively low profile. He played golf in retirement. He skied.

Gerald Rudolph Ford was laid to rest on the grounds of his presidential museum along the grassy shore of the Grand River on Wednesday after an intimate service attuned to close friends and family. As the sun set over his hometown, the ceremonies ended nearly a week of mourning for the earnest Midwestern congressman who became an unelected president -- and the man who steadied the nation in the wake of the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War. Ford died Dec.

Mort Sahl called it three days of "biting political compliment," and that, better than any other comment, characterized last week's "Humor and the Presidency" symposium here. No one attending knew what to expect, but former President Gerald Ford, the symposium's host, set the stage in his program note. "Throughout history," he wrote, "humor . . . has carried us over many difficult obstacles and through many difficult times . . . so enjoy yourselves. . . .

James Brown picked a terrible time to die. Despite several costume changes in the casket, the Godfather of Soul missed his chance at long-term national mourning because of all the competition. Saddam Hussein was hanged a few days later, but even he was second fiddle to the earlier death of Gerald Ford, the godfather of civility. Meanwhile, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was alive but not quite well, ruling the state from a hospital bed after surgery to repair a badly broken leg.